Read Andrea's blog entries.

Andrea Hague's Biography
I am a rising junior at the University of Richmond. Born and raised in Watkinsville, GA (right outside Athens), I'm still a Dawg fan at heart, even though I now call Tallahassee, FL my home. I come from a family of four daughters (God bless my dad!) and a warm, loving support system of aunt, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. I love traveling and interacting with people from cultures, which is why I am an anthropology major. I am going to be studying abroad in Istanbul, Turkey this fall. I don't know any Turkish, but am going to embrace the unknown!

I've been involved with CHAT since the beginning of my freshman year and through it, God has shown me that even though I love being abroad, He is doing incredible work right in my own town. I have loved being apart of the Church Hill community for these past two years and am grateful for all the people who have encouraged and invested in me. I'm so glad I have this opportunity this summer to continue to grow deeper in my understanding of God's love and what it means to be in community- a community that is not based on our similarities, but on God's grace that brings us together in spite of our differences.

Read Leah Beth's blog entries.

Leah Beth Cherney's Biography
My name is Leah Beth Cherney. I’m from outside of Philadelphia, PA, and I am an International Studies and French major at the University of Richmond, where I’ll be a senior in the fall. I spent two months last summer working at an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico, and recently returned from a semester studying abroad in Dakar, Senegal. It will be very interesting to be able to compare these challenging but rewarding cross-cultural experiences to my time working with kids in inner city Richmond this summer.

I first heard about CHAT at Intervarsity Christian Fellowship at UR, and have been involved with tutoring since my sophomore year. Over the past few years, I have learned more about what it means to be a part of an intentional community of people who seek to serve God and serve their neighbors. I have learned a great deal from the examples of people I have gotten to know in the Church Hill neighborhood, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to live here this summer, work with the kids, and see a side of Richmond that I have only really caught small glimpses of during my time helping with tutoring. I am thrilled about my chance to become a more active part of the community in Church Hill, and I’m excited to see how God is going to work in our lives and in the community.

Read Rhonda's blog entries.

Rhonda Dunbar's Biography
Hi! My name is Rhonda Dunbar. I am originally from Beach Park, Illinois which is about sixty miles north of Chicago. Before moving to Richmond I lived and worked in St. Louis, Missouri as a Special Education and English teacher. I have been involved in youth ministry for about ten years which led me to start my Masters in Christian Education this past fall at Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education (Union-PSCE). I started volunteering with CHAT after a service day through Union-PSCE. I am planning on working full-time in ministry upon graduation in May of 2010. I feel extremely blessed to have the opportunity to work with the youth, volunteers, and staff this summer at CHAT and I am excited to see how God works through all of us.

Read Carrie's blog entries.

Carrie Shafer's Biography
My name is Carrie Shafer and I am a rising Junior at the College of William and Mary. I am an anthropology major, but I am still trying to figure out what I am going to do with the rest of my life. Maybe I will do ethnographic research, or non-profit work, or whatever comes my way. My hometown is a tiny place called Pulaski, about an hour north of Pittsburgh PA. Fun fact: Pennsylvanians usually refer to their state as PA instead of Pennsylvania. I also say pop, not soda. I found out about CHAT when Mr. Strickland came to talk to my campus fellowship group last semester, and I was hooked.

I am obsessed with the outdoors and love to go camping, hunting, hiking, fishing, you name it. But you may not want to get into a canoe with me. I have a 75% tip-over rate. I am learning how to play the guitar, and I am a retired Drum Major and trumpet player. I am a huge bookworm and I spent the past year working at our campus bookstore. When I am home over the summers, I spend two weeks picking strawberries at a local farm. My cat Maya just had kittens, and I am a proud grandmother of 6. I just recently returned from a service trip to Guatemala which was amazing. Ask me about it! I would love to go skydiving, hang gliding over the Grand Canyon, hike the Andes, and tour all of Europe. I think that covers everything.

I am so excited to work with CHAT this summer. It’s going to be a blast!

Read Brian's blog entries.

Brian Daoust's Biography
My name is Brian. I am a native-born Texan, but grew up in North Carolina with my parents and little sister. I grew up in a Presbyterian Church which I am still a member of in Charlotte, NC, active in the youth group, youth council, Boy Scouts and basketball. I went to Chapel Hill for undergrad, where I remained active in ministry through campus ministry and the Red Cross. I also spent my summers working for churches and camps and the District Attorney’s office. Most of my experience with urban ministry and kids came from my time at the YMCA and camp.

Through my time in churches and at camp and taking leadership roles in ministry groups, I began to discern God’s call for me in ministry to young people. I came to Union-PSCE to seek ordination and become a pastor. I will finish my courses in May and begin looking for a call this summer while I work with CHAT and try to find where God is calling me and my wife to be next. I look forward to serving the students and community and fellow summer staff at CHAT and learning and growing in Christ.

Read Kim's blog entries.

Kim Wenz's Biography
I am a rising sophomore at Christopher Newport University. Growing up as a Navy child I have lived all over the country, however I would say home is in Springfield, VA. I found out about the internship through a friend and it sounded right up my alley. I love working with kids, and am currently a mentor at a local Newport News elementary school. I have not officially declared a major but am planning on majoring in social work. I look forward to the adventures this summer will entail, the friendships that will be made and the work God has planned for me.

Read Bethany's blog entries.

Bethany Palmer's Biography
My name is Bethany Palmer. I was raised in the small town of Ravenswood, West Virginia, the oldest of three. I came to Richmond in 2006 to attend the University of Richmond where I’m now a rising senior (ahhh!) double majoring in biology and psychology. Looking for an opportunity to serve off campus, I first became involved with CHAT the beginning of my sophomore year through peers at U of R. Little did I know all the ways in which God would use the kids and volunteers I met through CHAT to serve me as well. I’ve loved the years God’s given me in Richmond thus far and I’m really looking forward to getting to know the kids and community better this summer.

Read Sarah's blog entries.

Sarah Craven's Biography
Just finished my first year as a Master of Divinity and Master of Christian Education student. I spent the last year as a Young Adult Volunteer for P.C.U.S.A. in Belfast, Northern Ireland. While there, I spent the majority of my time working with children in both the schools and church I served. Before that I graduated from Texas A&M with an Anthropology degree. I am looking forward to learning new skills this summer for urban ministry in the States and building strong relationships with the kids who attend CHAT.

Read Mackenzie's blog entries.

Mackenzie Mumey's Biography
My name is Mackenzie Mumey, and I am a 23 year old from Celebration, FL. I attended the University of Richmond from 2004-2008, where I was involved with several Christian ministries on campus including InterVarsity Christian Fellowship as well as the Council for Christian Unity. These ministries raised my awareness of social justice issues, and began to stoke a passion in my life for addressing them. It was at that time that learned about CHAT through InterVarsity and spent roughly 2 years assisting with the afternoon tutoring. Upon my graduation from UR in the Spring of 2008 with a double major in American Studies and Religion, I moved to Seattle, WA where I spent the year working for World Vision, a Christian relief and development non-profit. After a very wet and cold winter in Seattle, I’m excited to be returning to the East Coast and spending this summer in Church Hill. I believe God is leading me toward a future involving community development in urban centers, and I hope to learn a significant amount this summer by engaging with local community members, and especially the youth.

Read Laura's blog entries.

Laura Skove's Biography
My name is Laura Skove. I am a rising sophomore at New York University, where I am studying History and French. I grew up in Richmond, Virginia, where I attended the Steward School and Third Presbyterian Church. I am excited to return to Richmond and spend the summer serving the Church Hill community. I enjoy music, reading, and taking long walks with no particular destination; at school I have been involved in the NYU Women’s Choir, the Green Initiative (a group interested in sustainable living), and the Navigators Christian Fellowship. I have been blessed to be accepted as a CHAT intern, and am excited to see how God will work through me this summer.

Read Will's blog entries.

Will Roberts' Biography
I am from Harrisonburg, Virginia. I graduated from the college of William & Mary in 2006, where I majored in Government and History. After college I attended Union Theological Seminary where I received my Master in Divinity this May. My work experience includes two summers as a camp counselor, volunteer work with tutoring in college, a summer unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at VCU medical center, a summer internship at First Presbyterian Church in Tifton Georgia, and three years volunteering with CHAT. My interests include theology, science fiction, writing poetry, exercise, ultimate Frisbee, and swing dancing. This summer I hope to learn much about inner city ministry and see how God can work in our everyday lives.

Read Dick's blog entries.

Dick Frailing's Biography
Hey!...... My name is Richard (Dick) Frailing. I am 20 years old and am currently attending college at Old Dominion University in Norfolk Virginia, which is a 15 minute drive to my home of 14 years in Chesapeake. This will be my third year at ODU coming up, but I am not yet completely sure what I want to pursue as a major. I actually took this past semester off from school to work and gain some momentum in my life as I was not sure which direction to go in college. I have a lot of passions and dreams in my life and I am really looking forward to this internship in giving these passions some direction and hopefully I can use them and share them to serve the community of Church Hill. Some things that I enjoy are music, art, and movies; I love playing guitar; I love food; I love running, kayaking and playing ultimate Frisbee; and I love just sitting and thinking about life. I of course am so blessed to have my friends and family in my life and do not appreciate them nearly enough. God has moved me and keeps moving me in ways that completely blow my mind, even when I resist him and what is good, he still somehow moves me in the right direction, and I am really excited to see how this summer ends up.